Olympic Little Series--Sailing, Kayaking, Canoeing (11)

Author: Artooon Publishing House, Greece
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-06-01
Features: Olympic Series. Long, long ago, humans began sailing the world by boat. The earliest sailing ships made by humans were quite primitive. As early as 3500 BC, these primitive sailing ships were already in use on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in the Mesopotamian region. By 1521, a Spanish expedition had already circumnavigated the world. But the sailing races we know today may not have appeared until a century after the voyages of Vasco da Gama and Magellan—not in Southern Europe, but in the Netherlands. Even the term "sailing ship" must have originated from the Dutch word "jaghtschip," meaning a fast and lightweight fishing boat, about 14-20 meters long.